Marie Moloney (Labour) | Oireachtas source

While I do not wish to repeat what other Members have stated, I extend my support to the commencement of all the provisions set out in the Charities Act 2009. Having been passed into law in February 2009, it is imperative that we wait no longer and that all aspects of the Act be put into practice so that proper regulation and accountability in the sector can be enforced. The charities sector needs to be more open and transparent while we need to protect our society against rogue charitable organisations undoing the great work of well run and well organised non-profit organisations. With full implementation, we will enhance public trust and confidence in charities which is so important as many charities have seen a marked decrease in monetary support for several years. The good, hard-working charities need to move on and concentrate on doing what they do best, namely, assisting and supporting so many people locally, nationally and internationally.

The workforce, as Senator Bacik said, is large, with the sector employing over 100,000 people, three quarters of whom are women, as well as involving over 560,000 volunteers. It needs to be protected, nurtured and supported. One way this can be done is by commencing the full regulations set out in the Charities Act. Non-profit organisations are a supplementary means of delivering a wide variety of public services in health, social services, education and emergency relief. They create an untold amount of public good in culture, recreation, social justice, civil and human rights. The sector deserves full commencement of the Charities Act 2009 so that the public’s trust can be maintained. The public wants the full commencement of the Act because of the increased transparency and accountability it would bring. I commend all the charities that are carrying out such good work and are of a significant benefit to society.